Adjustable post



Jan. 5, 1954 c. E. MYERS 2,665,104

' ADJUSTABLE POST Filed April 3, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IL TI 24 25 g;

24 FIG. I FIG. 2

gw vwwmw \\1 5 INVENTOR.

15b |2 CLARENCE E. MYERS uiezz LfiuMA Jan. 5, 1954 c. E. MYERS 2,665,104

ADJUSTABLE POST Filed April 5, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR. CLARENCE E. MYERS ig/4m baa-[M4 A ftovney Jan. 5, 1954 c. E. MYERS 2,665,104

ADJUSTABLE POST Filed April 5, 1950 s Sheets-Sheet 5 A L n H 1 T T i H A. I u A lllll @w /fg INVENTOR. CLARENCE E. MYERS Maw 561ml 'Hccorney 3 WSW A 3H 8 a H3 3 Jr Patented Jan. 5, 1954 ADJUSTABLE POST Clarence E. Myers, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, assignor to Summit Steel Products, Inc., Akron, Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio Application April 3, 1950, Serial No. 153,510

3 Claims.

This invention relates to adjustable posts of the type including a lifting jack and particularly useful for supporting or leveling sagging floors.

Heretofore, lifting jacks in common use have been provided of the type including two telescoping pipes, which were retained in adjustment to desired length of the jack unit by means of looking pin inserted through the two pipes. The lifting power of this type of jack has been seriously limited to the shearing strength of the locking pin, which supported the entire load of the unit.

One object of the invention is to provide a longitudinally adjustable post of the character described having maximum substantially uniform load strength throughout the length thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lifting jack of the character described wherein the maximum load is not limited by the strength of the device for locking the two pipes in telescoped relation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a telescopic type lifting jack, including an improved locking device which will not damage the telescoped pipes while under load in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a telescopic type lifting jack wherein said improved locking device is self-operating under a load on the jack tending to shift the same toward full engagement with cooperating parts of the two pipes and thereby substantially increasing the safety factor of the jack.

' Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable post of the character described, including telescoping members and powerful screwjack lifting means, in which is provided improved means for supporting one telescopic member within another at varyingly extended positions of adjustment, and wherein said improved means is easily and quickly operable by one person to adjust the members to various positions of adjustment without requiring a particularly high degree of skill.

Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable post of the character described which utilizes a maximum of readily available materials of standard cross-section, such as tubular piping,

away, of an adjustable post assembly embodying the features of the invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-section, partly broken away, of Figure 1 in the corresponding position thereof.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the supporting connection between the telescoping members as shown also in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a cross-section similar to Figure 3, on the same scale, but illustrating the mode of applying or removing the segmental load-supporting ring which is a part of the present invention.

Figure 6 is the detail view of one of the end plates or caps for the post. I

Figure '7 is a cross-section similar to Figure 3 illustrating a modified form of load-supporting ring construction.

Figure 8 is a side elevation, partly broken away and in section, of another modified form of telescopic post embodying the features of the invention.

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section, corresponding to Figure 3, illustrating the supporting connection between the telescoping members, ostensibly while the jack is not under substantial load.

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9, illustrating the locking connection when the jack is under supporting load.

Figure 11 is a transverse cross-section on a reduced scale through the jack, substantially on the line i I--| I of Figure 10.

Referring particularly to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the numeral [0 designates an elongated tubular member or pipe within which is telescopically received a similar tubular element or pipe II to extend from an inner end 12 of the member in various positions of longitudinal adjustment. For supporting said member in said positions of adjustment, the element It is provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced grooves l3, 13 defining parallel annular shoulders I4 adapted to be in opposed relation to said inner end of member Ill and each groove being adapted to receive in seating relation therein a two-part segmental ring l5. This ring may have a reduced portion or rib l6, for engagement between member In and element H (see Figure 3), and defining a longitudinally outwardly presented annular seat I! for engagement with the end 12 of said member. Thus the ring 15 is adapted to be insertable in a selected groove 13, segment by segment, according to the amount of outward extension of the member ll desired. When the shoulder I! of the ring is properly seated against the inner end 12 of member I0, any load transmitted through element H will be supported by the ring through engagement of annular seat 18 thereof with the annular shoulder 14 of said selected groove.

For a purpose to be described, each groove [3 may have a downwardly inclined facel3a from said shoulder l4 thereof, as shown, for substantially complemental seating engagement by a similarly inclined inner face 150 of ring [5, as.

best shown in Figure 3. For a similar purpose; the inwardly presented marginal edge portion of said inner end of member [H.maybechamfe'red.

or beveled at 28 for complemental engagement by a beveled annular face 2| of.reducedportion I6 of the ring. The angularity of the complementally engaging beveled faces just described preferably is such as to provide maximumfrictional resistance against relative rotational movement between..member ill andv element ll.

Selectiveengagement ofthe ring l 5 in thevarious grooves I3 of element II provides limited adjustment of the extension. with respect to ele-' ment' l I; For the purposes described the pitch of the threads referred to may besubstantially less .than the spacing. betweenthe grooves i3.

Caps or centering plates 24, 24 may be provided atopposite ends of the post, each cap being provided .with an annulargroove 25 of concave cross-section forv self-centering reception of either the rounded'end 280i extension 22"or the rounded-end 21 of tubular member |G.- As the general diameters of extension 22jand member 19 are approximately the same, the two plates. 24 are interchangeable.

In the operation or use of 'the post, as for levelingand supportingthe floor ofaibuilding, the operator adjusts the post to approximate required length less than .the distance between a supporting surface andan overhead joist' or beamof th'e floor (not shown). operator. holds the element ll'in approximate extended position with one hand, while with the other hand he. inserts firstone half lfi'aof ring l5, and then the other half I512, in the groove l3 selectivelyadjacent the inner endii of member 19;? Next, .heallows the element H'to dropv by, gravity, as from the. position of 'Figu-re .5 to

the position of Figure 3, in which the ring will be self-centeringly. positioned with longitudinally oppositely. disposed seats ILand. ifithereof in.

load. supporting. engagement with the correspondingly oppositely disposed shoulders i2: and of; element H and member l0, respectively.

The two endzplates 24 having been previously. positioned at-opposite ends of thepost, the operatornow inserts .a. bar (not shown) through the-apertures 23 ot'extension 22,- and turnssa-id extension on the threaded end-2l .of element H,- to further extend-the. post-to urge the top: plate:

Extension .22 is That is, the

24 against said joist or beam to raise said floor to desired level. This turning action on sleeve 22 under longitudinally compressive load through the post will not turn the element H, because of the previously described wedging frictional engagement between the inclined annular faces of ring 15 and the complementally inclined faces of member 19 and element H. A slight clearance, indicated at 39 in Figure 2, provides a certain degree of self-adjusting angularity between element 1 I and member Ii! during the floor leveling operations.

Referring; particularly to Figure 7, there is illustrated a modified form of post with particular reference to the load-supporting ring. The modified ring construction includes a two-part annular member 3! of round cross-section, the ring halves 3 l a and till) being, as before, selectively insertable in one of a plurality of annular grooves 32' on an upper tubular'element' Ila, corresponding to element H, which is telescopically;adjustablewithin a tubular member [0a, corresponding to member 10. The inner marginal edge portion. of member Ha may be beveled, as indicated at-33, to provide aconical seat'for seating engagement-byring 3| topre Referring'now to the modified form of the-invention in Figures 8 -to 11, there is illustrated a lifting jack wherein a. tubular top member or pipe 35 is telescopically received within a-bottom tubular element in pipe 36 of larger diameter, the telescoped pipes being adapted to be locked in longitudinally adjusted positions by means of improved locking (two-part, segmental) ring 3?, tube described'later. reduced-portion 39 for tight reception within the outer end portion ofpipe Hand to define an annular shoulder 45 which seats against said top endof the pipe 35-, A screw shaft 4| threaded through the nut .38.is provided with an aperture 42-forreception ofa-turning bar (not shown).-

The nut may be fixed with respect to the pipe- Remov 35, as by welding or brazingmethods. able plates or caps 43 and 44 are provided on the outer ends 'of screw. shaft M and the lower pipe 35-,- respectively.-

As before, forsupporting the top pipe 35 in one longitudinally adjusted-position on bottom pipe 36; said top pipe is provided-with a plurality'of longitudinally spaced annular-grooves 45,- 45 defining parallel annular shoulders 45 presented downwardly in opposed relation to the inner or top end 41 of-pipe 36, each groove being selectivelyadapted to have complementally seated therein the two-part segmental ring 31, and the ring having on theunderside thereof an annular groove 48 defining radially inwardly opposed side-walls converging inwardly of the groove, self-centeringly to receive said top end portion 41 of pipe 35. walls of the groove 48 is relatively slight, almost straight, to .attain theself-centering action with a minimum tendency. toward .mushrooming the end of pipeB JiWhenthe jack is under load; Also, the general diameter of the groove 48"may be slightly greater (say 2005 inch") than the general diameter of top endof lower pipe, substantially as illustratedin Figure 9; .whereby. the :downward- :load pressure on the top pipe,

A nut 38-has a- The taper of the opposed.

combined with said self-centering action of the tapered groove portion of the ring, tending to urge the ring halves 31a and 3% inwardly, will cause the inner periphery of said halves tenaciously to grip the inner peripheral wall portion of the groove, as shown in Figure 10, and at the same time full seating engagement of the ring parts with shoulder 45 of the pipe is completely assured. Highly satisfactory gripping action is accomplished in this manner when the inner periphery of the ring is cylindrical and the top face thereof is in a plane at right angles to the axis or" the ring. The lowermost corner of the groove 55 may be radiused to strengthen pipe 35, and the lower inside corner of the ring is shown cut away on a smaller radius to assure full seating 01" the ring in said groove.

In use of the form of the invention just described to support a load the ring halves 3'i'6t and 3Tb, in tending to be urged inwardly, cannot be removed or displaced, accidentally or otherwise. As maximum seating engagement is automatically provided upon application of the load to the jack it is capable of carrying a maximum load calculated on the basis of the area of the annular shoulder portion 45. Moreover, because the top portion of the supporting pipe 36 is confined within the tapered ring groove is, said top pipe portion cannot become mushroomed or distorted by downward pressure of the ring thereon. The use or operation of the improved jack of Figures 8 to 11 is otherwise as previously described in connection with Figures 1 to 10.

Other modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An adjustable post of the character described, comprising a longitudinally extensible unit including a tubular member and a cylindrical element telescopically arranged within the same to have a portion of the length of the element extending longitudinally outwardly of an inner end of the member, said element having on the outer periphery thereof at least one outwardly presented annular groove defining a longitudinally inwardly presented annular shoulder, and a circumferentially segmented ring of at least two parts engageable piece-by-piece within said annular groove and having annular edge portions complementally engageable with said. annular shoulder of said groove, said ring having an annular groove defining radially inwardly opposed walls for retaining reception of the tubular inner end of said member therebetween when longitudinal load stress is applied to said unit in assembled condition with the ring in position in said groove of said element, the mean diameter of said annular groove being greater than the mean diameter of inner end portion of said member, whereby a load applied to said unit tends to contract said ring into tight frictional engagement with said element.

2. An adjustable post of the character described, comprising a longitudinally extensible unit including a tubular member and a cylindrical element telescopically arranged within the same to have a portion of the length of the element extending longitudinally outwardly of an inner end of the member, said element having on the outer periphery thereof at least one outwardly presented annular groove defining a longitudinally inwardly presented annular shoulder, and a cirouinierentially segmented ring of at least two parts engageable piece-by-piece within said annular groove and having annular edge portions complementa-lly engageable with said annular shoulder of said groove, said ring having an annular groove defining a seat engageable with the inner peripheral end of said member when longitudinal load stress is applied to said unit in assembled condition with the ring in position in said groove of said element, opposite side-walls of said annular ring groove converging longitudinally inwardly to be selfcenteringly engageable with said inner end portion of said member.

3. An adjustable post as set forth in claim 2, the mean diameter or" said annular ring groove being greater than the mean diameter of said inner end portion or" said member, whereby a load applied to said unit tends to contract said ring into tight frictional engagement with said element.

CLARENCE E. MYERS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 230,467 Carter July 2'7, 1880 1,970,624 Becker Aug. 21, 1934 2,510,328 Black June 6, 1950 2,514,095 Schreiber July 4-, 1950 2,548,844 Myers Apr. 10, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 351,380 Germany Apr. '7, 1922 376,063 Great Britain July '7, 1932 

